Improving elastic modulus measurements for rock based on geology

University of Missouri-Rolla, Department of Geological and Petroleum Engineering, Rolla, MO, United States

Since many engineering projects in rock never mobilize strengths near the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the rock, elastic modulus becomes a critical parameter to describe the rock's behavior under loading. There are a number of methods available for calculating the elastic modulus from laboratory test data, and each method gives a slightly different value. The objective of this study is to evaluate the most repeatable method for each of a number of rock types, and then to develop guidelines to aid the practitioner in selecting the best method as a function of rock behavior. UCS tests were performed on 78 samples of nine rock types, including two basalts, two granites, two limestones, a quartzite, a sandstone, and a gypsum. Elastic moduli were calculated using six different methods reported in the literature or modified for this study. The modified secant and modified secant-at-50-percent-strength moduli (modified by shifting the origin to best intercept the extension of the main straight-line portion of the stress-strain curve) were the most repeatable methods for rocks with elastic and plastic-elastic behavior. Elastic-plastic materials, which have a broad concave-downward stress-strain curve, are best evaluated using the tangent modulus on the upper of two distinct straight-line segments. For materials which show creep or extended plastic deformation with no sharp failure, the secant-at-50-percent-strength modulus and modified secant-at-50-percent-strength modulus are the most repeatable.

This record provided courtesy of AGI/GeoRef.